U.S. hits Israel on settlements

The State Department said Tuesday that the U.S. is “deeply concerned” by Israel’s authorization of housing construction in the disputed area of East Jerusalem.

In a statement, the department said the U.S. has raised the issue with Israel and noted such “unilateral actions work against efforts to resume direct negotiations and contradict the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties.”

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The administration will “press ahead with the parties to resolve the core issues in the context of a peace agreement,” the statement said.

The housing project will expand the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa, which directly borders the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, by 930 units. Construction on the project, which was approved last week, is at least two years away, The Associated Press reported.

In its rebuke, the State Department said Israel and Palestine must continue to work for a peace agreement through the negotiating process.

“We believe that through good faith direct negotiations, the parties should agree on an outcome that realizes the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem, and safeguards its unique religious status for people around the world,” the statement read.

Israel captured the area in question during the 1967 Six-Day War and claims it as part of its capital city of united Jerusalem, but the Palestinians want to establish their future capital in East Jerusalem.